Foodservice Cateys 2025: General Manager of the Year – Adam Greenway, Eurest

As general manager for catering operations at Exxon Mobil’s largest oil refinery at Fawley in Hampshire, Adam Greenway oversees a highly complex site. The refinery covers more than five square miles and is home to nearly 5,000 employees and an extra 2,000 contractors during peak periods, making it a huge logistical challenge to provide food and drink – but one Greenway has met with huge success.

Since taking on the role in 2022, Greenway has transformed the catering service, which includes two workplace restaurants and a shop offering to-go produce. This has included overhauling the vending offer, which was in a poor state with limited choice, and there are now 110 machines offering ready meals, burgers and sausage rolls that are quick to heat and mean workers no longer need to leave the site on their lunch break. The move has driven a 284% increase in vending sales in two years alongside a wider boost to hospitality income, and the next step is to upgrade to machines that can also cook food, something Greenway has already cost-tested.

Last year Greenway’s team catered for a major ‘turnaround’ event at the refinery, which saw an extra 2,000 people need feeding across the site. Free food was offered as a reward to teams that had reported no accidents during the week, so Eurest’s team provided a normal lunch service and then had just 45 minutes to produce another 1,700 meals. Greenway worked long hours to lead the team and ultimately stayed on budget and made savings for the client.

Greenway also decided to increase stock levels to drive new revenue and meet client demands, which saw the installation of a 20ft shipping container, a 20ft freezer and 12ft of additional walk-in fridges, and also meant staff no longer had to go off-site to buy emergency items.

As well as going above and beyond in his day-to-day role, Greenway takes the same attitude when developing his team. By leading by example and trusting people to meet a challenge, he has helped an admin assistant at Exxon rise up the ranks become one of Eurest’s best catering managers. 

 

Greenway is a well-liked and highly respected leader who has helped overhaul catering services within a very challenging, high-volume operation.

 

Judges’ comments

“2024 was a tough year for the site and Adam made a real difference to the client, their people and his team. An outstanding operator.” Jo Harley

“The complexity and scale of Adam’s operation and what he has achieved over the past 12 months is truly phenomenal.” Anouk van der Ing

 

Shortlist

• Adam Greenway, Eurest
• Natalie Kendall, Sodexo Live!
• Mark Lawrence, Chartwells Universities
• Kieran McLoughlin, Genuine Dining

See previous winners of the award